Finding Hope and Strength in Trials
The Scriptures
“Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me” (Ruth1:20, ESV).
“May the Lord give strength to His people. May the Lord bless His people with peace” (Psalm 29:11, ESV).
The Story
Sometimes the way to our next abundant harvest depends entirely on how we handle our current trials. The human reflex to a crisis is always a geographic, situational or emotional escape. When resources dry up, when pressure mounts, or when the environment becomes uncomfortable, our immediate instinct is to run toward relief. We want to pack up and find a quick fix.
The book of Ruth begins with a family facing this exact crossroads. They were from the tribe of Judah, living in Bethlehem, a modest, but not prestigious town. Yet, Elimelech and his family seemed to be living well. We do not know exactly why the famine hit, but because this occurs during the time of the Judges, scripture implies that Israel’s cycle of idolatry plays a heavy role in their oppression from their neighboring enemies. If we look closely at the names of the family members in this story, we see God’s grace and the fact that God reigns on the just and the unjust. First, Elimelech’s name means “My God is King.” This was a family that explicitly named the Lord as their God. Then Naomi, her name means pleasant or delightful. The shift happens when they have children. The first son was named Mahlon meaning sickly. The second son’s name was Chilion, which meant pining or fading away.
Whether the boys’ fragility was due to the famine or an isolated family struggle, Elimelech made an executive decision: he packed up his family and left Judah for the prosperous, metropolitan community of Moab. Moab promised relief. It promised survival. In fact, the plan worked at first, because the sons grew up, settled down, and married. But Moab, although ideal for agriculture, was a place not spiritually aligned with God. In chasing physical sustenance, Elimelech stepped out of spiritual alignment.
When the dust settled, Elimelech and both sons were dead, leaving behind a bitter widow named Naomi. Despite her being bitter at God, it was clear that she imparted the word of God to her daughters-in-law. Later, the scriptures state that she turned from Moab toward Bethlehem because she “…heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord had visited his people and given them food” (Ruth 1:6, ESV).
The Safeguards
1. Guard Your Alignment Over Your Comfort
If we are God’s people, we must be incredibly careful about where we align ourselves, even when a worldly alternative promises immediate reprieve or relief. True alignment with God means choosing to depend only on Him for our survival and sustenance, even when the ground beneath us looks cracked and dry. Moving outside of His presence for quick comfort always costs more than we bargained for.
2. Protect Your Posture in the Trial
Trials are brutal, but our instructions remain the same: delight in the Lord and refuse to be poisoned by bitterness. When Naomi eventually returned home, she demanded to be called Mara (i.e., bitter), claiming the Almighty had dealt bitterly with her. Naomi’s posture changed negatively because she focused on what she lost in the famine rather than who God still was. Do not let a temporary drought or being in a dry place dictate your disposition of joy.
3. Turn your Heart in God’s Direction
When we turn in God’s direction, He begins working quietly in our favor. We may not see or hear of it right away, however, there will come the moment when our faith becomes sight. Naomi returned to Bethlehem, and was eventually willing to be satisfied with the bread made from the grain harvest, but look what the women in the community said when Naomi’s grandson was born: “Blessed be the Lord who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel” (Ruth 4:14, ESV). In other words, God turned Naomi’s bitter days into pleasant days again by redeeming her life from destruction and crowning her with His loving kindness. Not only did the town know about her grandson Obed, but the whole country also heard about Obed’s grandson in the person of King David. May God strengthen us in our trials. I believe our fields will be fruitful again.
Blessings,
Pastor Zhivago
“Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me” (Ruth1:20, ESV).
“May the Lord give strength to His people. May the Lord bless His people with peace” (Psalm 29:11, ESV).
The Story
Sometimes the way to our next abundant harvest depends entirely on how we handle our current trials. The human reflex to a crisis is always a geographic, situational or emotional escape. When resources dry up, when pressure mounts, or when the environment becomes uncomfortable, our immediate instinct is to run toward relief. We want to pack up and find a quick fix.
The book of Ruth begins with a family facing this exact crossroads. They were from the tribe of Judah, living in Bethlehem, a modest, but not prestigious town. Yet, Elimelech and his family seemed to be living well. We do not know exactly why the famine hit, but because this occurs during the time of the Judges, scripture implies that Israel’s cycle of idolatry plays a heavy role in their oppression from their neighboring enemies. If we look closely at the names of the family members in this story, we see God’s grace and the fact that God reigns on the just and the unjust. First, Elimelech’s name means “My God is King.” This was a family that explicitly named the Lord as their God. Then Naomi, her name means pleasant or delightful. The shift happens when they have children. The first son was named Mahlon meaning sickly. The second son’s name was Chilion, which meant pining or fading away.
Whether the boys’ fragility was due to the famine or an isolated family struggle, Elimelech made an executive decision: he packed up his family and left Judah for the prosperous, metropolitan community of Moab. Moab promised relief. It promised survival. In fact, the plan worked at first, because the sons grew up, settled down, and married. But Moab, although ideal for agriculture, was a place not spiritually aligned with God. In chasing physical sustenance, Elimelech stepped out of spiritual alignment.
When the dust settled, Elimelech and both sons were dead, leaving behind a bitter widow named Naomi. Despite her being bitter at God, it was clear that she imparted the word of God to her daughters-in-law. Later, the scriptures state that she turned from Moab toward Bethlehem because she “…heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord had visited his people and given them food” (Ruth 1:6, ESV).
The Safeguards
1. Guard Your Alignment Over Your Comfort
If we are God’s people, we must be incredibly careful about where we align ourselves, even when a worldly alternative promises immediate reprieve or relief. True alignment with God means choosing to depend only on Him for our survival and sustenance, even when the ground beneath us looks cracked and dry. Moving outside of His presence for quick comfort always costs more than we bargained for.
2. Protect Your Posture in the Trial
Trials are brutal, but our instructions remain the same: delight in the Lord and refuse to be poisoned by bitterness. When Naomi eventually returned home, she demanded to be called Mara (i.e., bitter), claiming the Almighty had dealt bitterly with her. Naomi’s posture changed negatively because she focused on what she lost in the famine rather than who God still was. Do not let a temporary drought or being in a dry place dictate your disposition of joy.
3. Turn your Heart in God’s Direction
When we turn in God’s direction, He begins working quietly in our favor. We may not see or hear of it right away, however, there will come the moment when our faith becomes sight. Naomi returned to Bethlehem, and was eventually willing to be satisfied with the bread made from the grain harvest, but look what the women in the community said when Naomi’s grandson was born: “Blessed be the Lord who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel” (Ruth 4:14, ESV). In other words, God turned Naomi’s bitter days into pleasant days again by redeeming her life from destruction and crowning her with His loving kindness. Not only did the town know about her grandson Obed, but the whole country also heard about Obed’s grandson in the person of King David. May God strengthen us in our trials. I believe our fields will be fruitful again.
Blessings,
Pastor Zhivago
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